Lotus wilt in heat but remain optimistic

That was the widespread verdict after a tough contest saw Italian Jarno Trulli bring his car home 17^th and Finn Heikki Kovalainen drive to the flag, albeit in an unclassified position following repairs for a damaged rear tyre.

“Despite all the issues, I think it was still a very positive race for us,” said Kovalainen.

“My start wasn’t fantastic, and it meant I dropped immediately to the back. But after that I got into a good rhythm, before I started to see some issues on the dash.

“I tried to make a move on Di Grassi, but clipped his front wing when I was going past and damaged my left rear tyre, so had to come in to pit.

“But even with those problems that we had, the car was competitive and I was very comfortable.

“Compared to the other new teams, I think our times are very competitive indeed, so I’m not going to let this race trouble me.”

Trulli also took positives out of the race.

“We made a good start, but then on the second lap I was hit by Glock — which made me spin. From then on, my race was compromised,” he said.

“Despite that, I got the car home and that shows our focus on reliability has been worth the effort.”

Team chief Tony Fernandes said he was encouraged.

“We can take a lot away from this weekend. In the end, it is a major achievement to finish,” said the founder of budget airline AirAsia.